>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm siena. we'll start with our top story. volunteering is something many teens do. for some, it's a requirement for high school. for others, it's to give back to their community. no matter the reason, more are doing it. in fact, over 55% of teens in the u.s. volunteer. we have a special report from tyler and ellie on a rather unusual group of friends. >> and we're gonna slide the connector right into here. [ camera shutter clicks ] >> meet taylor, rachel, lindsey, and amy.

>> well, we're four friends, four years, for a difference, and we came up with our name because the four of us are really good friends, and for our four years of high school, we pledge to do 1,000 hours of community service. [ record scratches ] >> you heard right. one thousand hours of volunteer work. >> the mission is to inspire other teens to help out in their communities and do community service, just because it's better than doing other stuff, basically. >> and it makes you feel better as a person, and it's really fun. >> their plan was hatched during their freshman year of high school. a devastating world event got them thinking. >> we started talking about it earlier in the year, and then we really sat down in, like, january or february, was it? >> it was january. >> january? and kind of, it was around the haiti earthquake, so we thought it would be a good idea to have a dance at our school to benefit it. and that's kind of how it all just came together. >> what you were just watching is actually from a news story

tyler did over three years ago. so, did those four friends achieve their goal of doing 1,000 hours of community service before graduating high school? so, let's go find out. hey, guys! >> hi! >> so, when tyler did his report, you were all sophomores. now you're seniors, right? >> yes. >> correct. >> and i guess you're still friends. >> yeah. >> of course. >> so, here's the big question. did you do the thousand hours of community service? >> i'm thrilled to say that we have. >> so, let's hear what you've done, starting with you, taylor. >> we've done so much over these four years. one of the things that sticks with me that we've done numerous years was feeding the veterans. every month, the wednesday of the month, we would go in, make a big meal, and feed them, and we also brought gifts for christmas and thanksgiving. we brought pies on thanksgiving, and that was such a great

experience. >> we also held a golf tournament for the kids in guatemala to get medical supplies for them, 'cause they all have cleft and lip palates. we also raised thousands of dollars to also get special spoons and special cups for them, as well. >> we also went to tuscaloosa, alabama, for habit for humanity, and we helped build houses that got tornado damage a few years ago. >> and we also traveled to guatemala twice. we went to an orphanage down there, and we played with them. we fed them. and we also went to a school, and we gave them supplies that we doned. >> that's amazing. when you were interviewed by tyler years ago, you said that one goal was to make other teens want to volunteer. do you think that worked out? >> yes. we're in the process actually of actually trying to promote a new group of freshmen who are coming up, and we're talking to eighth graders right now and having them apply and try and be

the next four friends. so, we're really interested in finding girls that are interested in volunteering and helping those specific girls start their own group, as well as helping other students that are interested. and we have seen students already participate in volunteering activities because they've seen us volunteering. >> that's great. so, now that you're graduating high school, what are your plans going forward? >> well, we're all going to college, and i think we all plan on doing our own volunteer things, like with our college or, like, maybe getting together over like a spring break or something and doing some activities together. >> definitely continuing to volunteer. >> yeah. >> absolutely. >> these girls will be the first to tell you that when it comes to community service, the most important thing isn't the number of hours that you do. what's most important is that you do something. or as these four friends would say...

>> nobody can do everything... >> but everyone can do something. >> words to live by. for "teen kids news," i'm ellie. >> whoo-hoo! [ laughter ] >> can you really ride a bike with square wheels? to find out the answer, you need to know math, and that's why we're here at this rather unusual museum. i'll have a report. [ applause ] >> four french journalists held captive in syria for 10 months finally return home. they receive an enthusiastic welcome from their family, friends, and fellow journalists on an air base outside of paris. the details of their captivity and release are limited, but the french foreign minister calls the hostage takers "terrorists." 20 journalists from around the world remain captive in syria. more than 50,000 children are living in the u.s. with a parent who was severely wounded while serving in iraq or afghanistan.

a study commissioned by the marine corps scholarship foundation reveals these kids often get less attention, and they're forced to become caregivers at an early age. this often isolates them from their friends and community. >> they've had parents who have been very distracted and have not necessarily been as present as they might be in a family that has not had to deal with such a traumatic situation. >> the study offers solutions on how to help children of those seriously injured, including mentoring and peer-to-peer support. the clinton family is about to get a little larger. chelsea clinton, the daughter of the former president bill clinton and former secretary of state hillary rodham clinton announces she's pregnant. she and her husband, marc mezvinsky, are expecting their first baby this fall. chelsea, sharing the news at a clinton foundation event on empowering women. >> i just hope that i will be as good a mom to my child, and hopefully children, as my mom was to me. >> for "teen kids news," i'm rick leventhal, "fox news channel in the classroom."

>> the famous astronomer galileo said that we can't understand the world around us without first understanding math. what galileo didn't say was that seeing math in action can be surprisingly fun. scott tells us more. >> the national museum of mathematics welcomes visitors of all ages seven days a week. >> they make, like, games, and you're learning and you don't even notice. >> so, people think that math is just about, you know, numbers and symbols all on a page and incomprehensible equations. and we wanted to show people the meaning behind the math. >> located on manhattan's east side, the museum is chock-full with all kinds of hands-on displays and activities. so, what are the five most interesting exhibits for teens here at the museum? >> well, come on, scott. how about i show you? >> all right. our first stop is the human

tree. that's what you turn into when you step on the red circle. you can change the seasons and even create intricate combinations. the point of this exhibit is to teach about fractals. >> a fractal is where you take one unit, and you repeat it over and over again, ever smaller each time, and so you'll notice that each generation of this tree is another copy of you and of me. we're just getting smaller and smaller. >> when it comes to learning about patterns, you might say this exhibit on fractals is "tree-mendous." let's move on to number four. >> so, let's come to the fourth exhibit now. number four, this is called "harmony of the spheres," and this is an exhibit that focuses on the relationship between math and music. and the way it works is that each one of these balls represents a chord -- a chord that has three notes, which is also called a triad. so, when i touch that, we're hearing a chord. >> depending on which spheres you touch, you can actually create not just different music, but different emotions.

>> i can show you that on this side, we have a minor chord, so that sounds kind of sad, whereas on this side we have a major chord, and that sounds kind of happy. >> so, it's musical math, then? >> it's musical math, and this is one of two music-and-math exhibits we have in the museum. there are a lot of relationships between math and music. >> next is number three. the math square is a colorful way to show relationships. for example, here it's drawing a border around each kid to literally prove a point. >> that border shows all the points on this square that are closer to them than to any other person on the square. so, you might have a very big portion if there's nobody near you, or if there's lots of people standing around, you'll all get very small portions. >> okay. well, do you mind if i try it out? >> not at all -- let's step right on.

you've got a very big region. i've got a smaller region because i'm sharing with this young man. >> next on our must-see list is a high-tech sculpture competition. the first step is designing an image on the computer. >> the best part about this is not only is she creating something beautiful, but we can then print those on our 3-d printer. >> not every design gets printed. visi favorites. the images receiving the most votes are transformed from computer images into physical objects. so, this actually prints out what kids have drawn in a three-dimensional shape. >> yes, it actually builds by putting layer after layer after layer. >> the objects created by the three-dimensional printer become part of the exhibit. when we return, we'll find out what the most popular exhibit is here at the museum of mathematics.

>> we're touring the five most popular exhibits at the museum of mathematics. so far we have learned about fractals, musical triads, the properties of a square, and designing in three dimensions -- proof positive that math is anything but dull. >> at first i was kind of skeptical. i was like, "a museum about math." but then we came in, and it was so much fun. >> a lot of people when they hear about a museum for math may think it's boring. so, what did you think? >> i thought it was pretty cool. >> so, would you tell other kids to come here, and what would you tell them was fun about it? >> everything. >> and the top exhibit here at the museum of mathematics? >> now, this is the most popular exhibit in the whole museum. this is our square-wheeled-tricycle exhibit, and what's so surprising about it is that you can ride on bicycles that have square wheels, and your ride is perfectly smooth. >> the secret is the design. the wheels -- and the bumpy

surface they ride on -- fit together with mathematical precision. for all you math mavens, it has to do with what's called a "catenary" curve. >> and so the square wheels, the point of the wheel is exactly fitting into the bottom of each hump, and so you get a perfectly smooth ride because the bicycle seat is not going up and down, but the wheel mates perfectly with the track. and that's one example of how mathematics can make the seemingly impossible suddenly possible. >> math at its finest. >> absolutely. >> while they say, "seeing is believing," i needed a test ride to be convinced. amazingly, it was just like riding a bike with round wheels. no question about it -- all the exhibits here add up to a fascinating experience. at the national museum of math, i'm scott for "teen kids news." >> you want to look your best and feel your best? pay attention to how you begin your day. you might think you're making a healthy choice for breakfast. but you might need to rethink

your routine. nicole got advice from an expert -- nutrition specialist dr. deb kennedy. >> so, dr. deb, a lot of teens start their day with a bowl of cereal. is that a healthy way to start the day? >> it can absolutely be a healthy way to star the day, but it depends what cereal you choose. so, you want to choose a cereal. four is your magic number. four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon of sugar, and there is no need for a cereal to be more than a teaspoon of sugar per cup. that is sweet enough. so, you want to look at the label, and on the label it's going to say sugars. and as long as the product doesn't have any milk or fruit in it, those sugars equal the added sugars in there most likely. but if it has milk or fruit in it, it also counts those types of sugars. so, labels can be really, really confusing. so, what i tell people also, as you look at the ingredient list -- if the first three ingredients has the word "sugar" in it or any of its impostors, like corn syrup, dextrose,

barley malt -- there is about 25 different names for sugar. if any of the first three ingredients is sugar, put the box away, and no one will get hurt, okay? >> but what about serving size? can't that confuse you, as well? >> right. usually they're standardized. so, both these boxes have one cup as a serving size. so, you can compare the sugars in each of them. so, when you look at sugars, it's a great way to compare, but definitely make sure that the serving sizes are the same in order to do that. >> so, i'm in a rush a lot of the time, and i always grab a breakfast bar. how bad is that for me? >> okay. so, if the breakfast bar looks like a candy bar, and it's got a chocolate shell, and it's got caramel in the middle, tastes like a candy bar, and smells like a candy bar, do you think it's going to be healthy for you? >> no. >> no, right? so, you can find cereal or a granola bar. just again, make sure the first three ingredients is not an added sugar. and if it looks like candy and you find yourself liking it as much as candy, take a look at

the sugar label. >> breakfast is supposed fuel you, not fool you. so, read those labels and make sure you're not overdoing the sugar. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. >> students from the culinary institute of america are sharing some of their favorite recipes with "teen kids news." here's what's cooking this week. >> so, you've got friends coming over for a movie, but you don't want to serve the same old, same old popcorn. well, i've got a recipe for you. it's chili popcorn, and it's a great way to spice up the usual movie snack. we're gonna start with about eight cups of freshly popped popcorn. now we're gonna make a spice mixture. it starts with a pinch of salt. but if you're cutting down on your salt, you can just leave it out. now were gonna add a 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder... an 1/8 of a teaspoon paprika...

an 1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder... and an 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. cayenne pepper is really spicy, so if you don't like things too spicy, cut down on the amount of cayenne pepper that you add. there we go. it's all mixed up. let's sprinkle it over our popcorn, and then we'll just toss it with a spatula so it's all evenly coated. told you it was easy. now all you have to do is decide on a movie. and that is chili popcorn at the culinary institute of america. for "teen kids news," i'm andrea. >> okay, everyone, it's time to find out what teens think. here's "speak of the week."

>> it can seem like high school lasts forever. but have you considered what you're doing afterwards? for instance, do you intend to go to college? >> i want to go to stanford, 'cause i know it's a good school, and i like the campus and sports and stuff. >> i think i'm going to go to baylor, which is down in waco, texas, 'cause that's where my brother's going, and both my parents went. >> i intend to go to auckland university, which is in new zealand. >> i do want to go to college, and i'm not so sure yet, but maybe like nyu or some good college with, like, business and music. >> i do intend to go to college, probably at auburn university. >> yes, i would like to go to spellman university in atlanta, georgia. >> there certainly are a lot of colleges to choose from. you just have to find what's right for you. as for me, i'm going to baruch college. with "speak of the week," i'm

tatyana. >> we all know that unlike pinocchio, people's noses don't grow when they lie. but if you're not telling the truth, your nose can still give you away. scientists have found that the nose actually gets hotter when a person's lying. so, i guess you can say that when it comes to lying, the nose knows. >> this report is brought to you by nbc sports at the auto shows on nbc sports network. >> well, we know it's been a crazy winter for a lot of families. in fact, that probably included a lot of snow days. don't you wish you had one of those in mom and dad's garage? that's the all-new jeep renegade. it's a brand-new 4x4 that's really capable in all kinds of weather, including the snow.

and when inside, well, it's gonna offer up all the comfort you'd hope. outside, you're gonna be able to take it off road. but wait. they're gonna love the fact that it also gets 30 miles to the gallon on the highway. the new jeep renegade will be available during summer break. also, from nissan, they're excited about this crossover s.u.v. remember, s.u.v.s are getting a little smaller. you can get them into the family garage a little bit easier. but they're also very efficient, which means mom and dad won't complain as much when they pull up to the gap pumps. and the rear seat of the new murano, they call it a rear-seat social lounge. you can plug in your devices to text, to do whatever. new from nissan. it will be available later this year. well, subaru's excited about this. it's the all-new outback. and i like it because it's kind of a station wagon, very family-friendly. it has good power, too. up to 260 horsepower with the 6-cylinder, 12 stereo speakers, and, again, good on gas. 33 miles to the gallon. let's talk about a sports activity coupe. that's right. it's from bmw.

it's the 2015 x4. it is a crossover sports activity coupe, but it has all-wheel drive which means it's good in all kinds of weather. it will go on sale this summer, about $47,000, and it's built right here in the u.s.a. well, chevrolet's showing off its mid-size crossover. this is the chevy trax. and inside, it's got a lot of luxury and a lot of space, too. it's also very safe. 10 airbags and it will also feature 4g lte wi-fi onboard. well, land rover's a fancy car, for sure, and it's about to get even fancier with this. this is the vision concept. and inside, it has what's called gesture recognition. now, you won't have to actually touch anything to put the turn signals on. you'll just move your hand in the direction you want the car to turn and all that onboard technology will perform the function for you. just a concept for now, but pretty cool stuff. well, hyundai's excited about the all-new hyndai sonata. and you've never seen this before. it's because they've completely

redesigned the sonata and they've made it with a 2-liter turbo engine. and it's got what's called a smart trunk. look at this. the trunk knew that the guy was sitting there because he -- well, it's the owner of the vehicle. the trunk opened by itself. how cool is that? built in alabama, the all-new sonata on sale later this year. and from acura, this is new. the all-new tlx. all-wheel drive, $47,000, and it's got four-wheel steering, and that's pretty cool. well, the minivan is back. the kia sedona minivan. this thing is really attractive from the front. inside, a lot of luxury. check out the seats in the second row. it's like a first-class airline seat with those foot rests. it will go on sale later in 2014. all right, let's get fancy. let's talk about rolls-royce. yeah, talk mom and dad into this car because you're gonna be the most popular kind in school. it's the ghost ii. twin turn, v-12 under the hood. inside, the finest craftsmanship available. it's got picnic tables and it

even has one-inch thick carpeting. about $275,000. and let's talk about an anniversary for mazda because it's the 25th birthday for the miata. the miata still is a very fun car to drive, a lot of zoom, zoom. very affordable and a rear-wheel drive car. really does fit the bill nicely. let's talk about muscle cars 'cause we're gonna talk about the dodge challenger. look at that. that is really old-school, isn't it? especially with that orange color. that's got over 470 horsepower to it. but if you need a four-door because, well, the family need to get in, you might want to have mom and dad think about the charger. still very cool. 300 horsepower. both these cars will go on sale in the third quarter. for "teen kids news," i'm doug brauner at the new york auto show. >> that's our show for this week. thanks for watching "teen kids news." we'll see you next time.

steves: pisa, in the north of italy, is a grand city with a grand history. for nearly three centuries, until about the year 1300, pisa was

a booming port town, rivaling venice and genoa as a sea-trading power. from here, where the arno river meets the sea, its 150-foot galleys cruised most of the mediterranean. during the crusades, pisan ships transported entire armies to the holy land. like many italian city-states, the republic of pisa prided itself in its independence from both popes and emperors. but eventually its fleet was defeated by genoa and its port silted up, leaving the town's economy high and dry. pisa's three must-see sights -- the duomo, baptistery, and leaning bell tower -- are reminders of its long-ago sea-trading wealth. this dazzling ensemble floats regally on the best lawn in all of italy. this square -- the piazza del duomo -- was nicknamed the "campo dei miracoli," or field of miracles, for the grandness of the undertaking. the architectural style throughout

is pisa's very own pisan romanesque. where traditional romanesque has a heavy, fortress feel, pisan romanesque is light and elegant. the buildings, with their tight rows of thin columns, geometric designs, and striped colored marble, give the campo a striking unity. the 200-foot-tall bell tower is famous because it leans about 15 feet. the tower started to lean almost immediately after construction began. various architects tried to correct the problem of the leaning by straightening up the top section. the tower tilted a little more each year, and was in danger of actually falling over. over the centuries, they tried every trick imaginable to stop the tilt. finally, they figured it out, stabilized the tower, and in 2001, the leaning tower of pisa was reopened to the climbing public. climbing to the top is an unforgettable experience,

offering great views of the city, the square, and its dramatic duomo. pisa's huge and richly decorated duomo, or cathedral, is artistically more important than its more famous bell tower. its ornate facade glitters in the sun. the 320-foot nave was the longest in christendom in the 12th century, when it was built. the floor plan is that of a traditional roman basilica -- 68 corinthian columns dividing the nave into five aisles. the striped marble and arches on columns give it an exotic feel. the pulpit by giovanni pisano dates from around 1300. pisano left no stone uncarved in his pursuit of beauty.

while this was sculpted over a century before the renaissance began, michelangelo himself traveled here to marvel at pisano's work, drawing inspiration from its realism. around the top, christ's life unfolds in a continuous scroll. the infamous massacre of the innocents is powerful. king herod, so threatened by this newborn king, orders the slaughter of all the first-born sons in hopes of killing baby jesus. mary and joseph load up the donkey and hustle their son down to egypt as the bloody massacre proceeds. the sculptor captures the horror of this event with a skill unprecedented in its day. pisano's 400 intricately sculpted figures all weave a complex theological ideal. this provides a symbolic foundation designed to legitimize and reinforce the gospel message the priests read from the lectern crowning the pulpit. in the middle ages, you couldn't even

enter the church until you were baptized. that's why baptisteries like pisa's were free-standing buildings adjacent to the church. the interior is simple and spacious. a statue of john, the first baptist, the man who baptized christ, seems to say, "welcome to my baptistery." the finely crafted font is plenty big for baptizing adults by immersion, medieval-style. the highlight here for most is the remarkable acoustics, resulting in echoes long enough to let you sing three-part harmony... solo. [ singing harmonizes with echoes ] [ singing echoes ]

[traditional instrumental music] ♪ - to most people, especially americans, you say the word "vietnam" and they think war-torn jungles and a dark time in history that still resonates in america today, but in vietnam, it's a different story. this tropical asian country, once the scene of countless images of battles and wars, now proudly shows off a new thriving tourist scene. the old communist capital of hanoi, with its frenetic streets... - we're on a rickshaw, and there's bikes everywhere, and it's crazy. - and colorful markets selling all sorts of things... - i just saw eel. - eel. - and squids and octopus. - provides a unique mix of french colonial history,